Munition casing



V. MAUCK,

MUNITION CASING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28,1918.

Patented Aug. 29, 1922;

VICTOR-MA'UCK, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

earner orricii.

MUNITION casters.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

Application filed. February 2a, 1918. Serial No. 219,674.

tain new and useful Improvement in Munitio'n Casings, whereof the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing.

The present invention is a modification of the invention described in my application Serial 217,037, filed February 1 1, 1918, for Letters Patent of the United States,having as its object to provide a casing which may be hermetically sealed for the transportation of explosives but which may not only be readily opened to discharge its contents, but may be rescaled, so that'the casing can be again used for the same purpose, as distingnished from ordinary munition casings which are provided with sealing means which are destroyed when the casing is opened.

As it is of the utmost importance, in the present state of war, to minimize the weight of all containers used'in the transportation of munitions; it is one object of'mw invention to provide a suitable removable closure for a munition casing, which closure may be made ofthi'n pressed sheet metal, and, consequently, is far less weighty than it made of cast metal of the same strength.

The form of my invention hereinafter described comprises means for interlocking a munition casing with a removable closure so that the latter cannot be accidentally displaced, and includes the provision upon the munition' casing of a flange which presents a downwardly turned ledge, to afford the maximum security of engagement of the hooks which hold the closure upon the easing; and simplified means for pivotally supporting the closure hooks without the use of pivot pins as shown in the drawing. and hereinafter described, said downwardly turned ledge is preferably formed by a flange which is in unitary relation with the niunition casing; that is to say, the same sheet of metal is used to form the tubular body of said casing and said flange, as distinguished from certain structures of the prior art in which casings are provided with primarily separate flange rings, to engage means for securing the casing closure. Moreover, a convenient adjunctive feature of my invention is the provision of means to seal the screw by which the closure is held on the casing, so that the casing cannot be opened without breaking said seal and thus indicating the" fact that it has been opened.

My invention includes the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specified.

In the drawing; Fig. I is a plan view of a munition casing embodying a convenient form of my invention.

Fig; II is a longitudinal sectional view of said casing, taken on" the'line II, II in FigzI.

Fig. III is an" invertedplan view of said casing.

Fig. IV is'a perspective view of one of the spider yoke arms.

Fig. V is a perspective view of the pivoted hook latch shown in Figs: I and II, which is adapted to fit in the slot of the yoke arm shown in Fig. IV.

In said figures; the body 01 the munition casing is acylindrical tubular shell. Said shell is preferably formed of a primarily plane sheet'of commercial steel electrically welded at a single longitudinal sea-1n 2, and permanently closed by the bottom plate 3, having the cylindrical flange 4' united to said shell 1 by an oxyacetylene welding process. The opposite, upper, end of said shell 1 is preferablyprovided with an integral outwardly turned flange 6 of semi circular cross section, which afi ords'a bearing for the gasket 7 which may be of rubber or' other suitable" material. for said casing includes the lid 9 which is a saucer-shaped circular plate of pressed sheet -metal, h'avin'g'an annular flange 10 con'iplem'entary to and arranged to interlock with said casing flange 6 and to bear upon said gasket 7. The spider frame or yoke 12 is also'prett'erab'ly' formed ofpressed sheet metal, with three arms of U-shaped cross section overhanging said lid 9, and each having a hook adapted to engage under said The closure casing flange 6, as shown in Fig. II. The

two hooks 13 are bendable but preferably integral with said yoke. The hook 1 1 is a latch, conveniently formed of stamped, primarily fiat, sheet metal, having its upper end 15 bent downwardly through the slot 16 in the outer end of the arm 17 of said yoke 12.

The nut 19, which is preferably a standard size hexagon nut, is permanently secured in said yoke 12, conveniently by inwardly bent lugs on said yoke. The set screw 21 which extends in said nut 19,in engagement with said lid 9, is conveniently provided with the T head 22, or other suitable wrench hold exterior to said yoke. Said T head has the hole 23 to receive the seal wire 25 which also extends through the holes 26 in said yoke arm 17, and has its ends twisted together and imbedded in the seal 27, conveniently formed of lead or other soft metal; said wire and seal being employed to indicate whether the casing has remained unopened during its transportation.

It is to be understood that in the position shown in Fi II, said casing 1 is hermetically sealed by pressure of said screw 21 upon said lid 9, compressing said gasket 7 at the joint between said casing flange 6 and the flange 10 of said lid; thus preventingaccess of air and moisture to the explosive material 28 in said casing. However, said screw 21 may be turned, by the wrench hold 22, until its pressure upon said lid 9 is relieved; whereupon, said latch 14;- may be rocked on its pivotal connection to said yoke arm 17, to disengage its hooked end from beneath said casing flange 6 ;.thus enabling the operator to withdraw the yoke 12 and remove said lid 9, without damaging said casing 1, and thus permitting its repeated use.

Said flange 6, being formed, as shown in. Fig. II, in unitary relation with the wall ofthe shell 1, is not only less costly than a ledge formed by a primarily separate ring, as in structures of the prior art, but, having a hollow beneath it, is adapted to receive the upwardly extending end of the hook 1 1 and more seourelyengage the closure, in the position shown in Fig. II, than if said flange were not thus formed. The saucer shape of the lid 9, (best shown in Fig. II)

is advantageous in that the point of en-' entities is advantageous in that if any one til the damaged member could be repaired and, as such damages are frequently incurred by reason of the rough usage to which munition casings are necessarily sub jected, such" separable relation of said elements is important in the maintainance of the maximum number of casings in service.

It may be observed that such casings as above described are adapted to stably stack in vertical alinement; the recessed bottom of one casing being supported by the arms of the yoke of the subjacent casing, said recessed bottom affording clearance for the central screw of the subjacent casing.

Of course, such closures as above described may be used on casings differing from the casing 1. Therefore, I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein, without departing from the essential features of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a munition casing, the combination with a tubular shell; of a closure for said shell includinga lid, a rigid yoke having arms overhanging said lid, with hooks at their outer ends, one ofsaid arms; having a slot extending through it, and its hook pivotally engaged in said slot; all of said hooks being adapted to directly detachably engage said shell.

2. A vessel closure yoke formed of pressed sheet metal, including a plurality of arms each having a hook at it outer end; one of said hooks being pivotally engaged in a slot in its arm, and means on the latter arm limiting the movement of said hook toward said closure.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Norristown, Pennsylvania, this twenty-sixth day of February, 1918.

VICTOR MAUCK.

Witnesses:

Monnrs II. FELDMAN, H. MAUCK. 

